Differences in organization citizenship

behavior between “serumpun” countries

(Indonesia – Malaysia)
Suharnomo Suharnomo and Fathyah Hashim

Abstract Suharnomo Suharnomo is

Purpose – This paper aims to examine the effect of job motivation and commitment on organizational based at the Department of
citizenship behavior (OCB) of Indonesian and Malaysian employees. Organizational and national Management, Universitas
cultures are introduced as moderators and OCB as a mediator to investigate their relationships in the Diponegoro Fakultas
context of job performance. Ekonomika dan Bisnis,
Design/methodology/approach – The sample was drawn from employees using a purposive sampling Semarang, Indonesia.
method. A total of 264 valid questionnaires were obtained from employees. The data were analyzed using Fathyah Hashim is based at
regression analysis. Graduate School of
Findings – The results show that job commitment and job motivation positively affect OCB in Indonesia Business, Universiti Sains
but not Malaysia. The results also reveal that job motivation affects OCB in both countries. In Indonesia, Malaysia, Minden,
organizational culture and national culture partially moderate the influence of job commitment and Malaysia.
motivation on OCB, except the commitment to the organization’s culture. However, roles of these
moderators in job commitment and motivation are not evident in Malaysia. The result of this study also
shows that OCB affects performance in Malaysia but not Indonesia.
Practical implications – The results of this study can be used to explore Indonesian and Malaysian
employees. Although the culture of these two countries is originated from the same roots which cause
many similarities among them, there are differences in terms of OCB and employee’s performance that
can affect organizational performance and also ways in dealing business with Indonesian and Malaysian
companies.
Originality/value – This study is one of the first studies to examine cross-cultural dimensions in two
Southeast Asian countries. The findings contribute to the current OCB literature by confirming the roles of
OCB and culture in the effects of job motivation and commitment on job performance.
Keywords Organizational commitment, Organizational citizenship behavior, Organizational culture,
Job performance, National culture, Job motivation, cross-cultural comparison
Paper type Research paper

Introduction
Researchers in various fields have highlighted the importance of organizational
citizenship behavior (OCB) to the success of an organization (Podsakoff et al., 2000).
OCB refers to individual work behavior beyond the call of duty that in aggregate
benefits the effective functioning of the organization. “Beyond the call of duty” implies
that the positive behaviors may or may not be rewarded by a formal reward system
(Organ et al., 2006).
Several antecedents of OCB have been suggested, including job motivation and
Received 27 December 2016
organizational commitment (Podsakoff et al., 2000), motivation (Barbuto et al., 2001; Revised 25 May 2017
21 June 2017
Penner, et al., 1997; Tang and Ibrahim, 1998) and organizational commitment (Alizadeh 11 August 2017
et al., 2012; Ibrahim and Aslinda, 2013; Shirley, 2010). Employees with strong commitment Accepted 5 October 2017

DOI 10.1108/JABS-12-2016-0178 VOL. 13 NO. 3 2019, pp. 349-361, © Emerald Publishing Limited, ISSN 1558-7894 j JOURNAL OF ASIA BUSINESS STUDIES j PAGE 349
 show more extra-role behavior (Gasic and Pagon, 2004) and tend to have higher
performance than employees without commitment (Shirley, 2010). A motivated employee
with strong commitment toward the organization will be more likely to engage in OCB.
However, levels of job motivation and commitment are often related to culture (Tsui
et al., 2007). Culture is unique and inherent, and cultural differences can have
significant effects even within the same large umbrella culture, such as Asian culture.
Taormina and Gao (2008) revealed differences in in culture between two similar
Chinese cultures in the context of work enthusiasm. Hua et al. (2013) also observed
differences in culture among nine Asian countries, albeit in the slightly different context
of the volume-price variability relationship. Thus, similar cultures can have significant
differences, and cultural understanding becomes essential.
Of the many frameworks available to understand culture, Hofstede’s (1980) national cultural
dimensions are considered the most comprehensive in describing cultural differences and
their implications in different settings, namely work, school and day-to-day basis
(Shackleton and Ali, 1990; Triandis, 1982; and Schuler and Rogovsky, 1998). Despite the
ability of the framework to explain cultural differences, the use of the framework to examine
job motivation, organizational commitment and organizational culture has not been
thoroughly explored.
The objective of this study was to further explore OCB in two countries, Indonesia and
Malaysia. These two countries share the “serumpun” context; many view these two
countries as almost identical, with the same culture. Research conducted by Hofstede
(1980) also indicates that the national cultures of Indonesia and Malaysia are very
similar. However, empirical evidence suggesting that the impacts of job motivation
and commitment on OCB are similar in these two countries is very limited.
Therefore, this study aimed to obtain insight in the “serumpun” context by examining
the similarity of these two countries and the role of culture in the differences between
Indonesian and Malaysian employees’ perceptions of their level of job motivation and
organizational commitment and their influences on OCB. This study also estimates the
consequences of OCB for employee job performance. The implication of the findings is
discussed.

Indonesia and Malaysia – comparative analysis

Indonesia and Malaysia share similar traits in Hofstede’s national cultural dimensions
(Hofstede et al., 2010). Both countries have large power distance indexes, collectivistic
societies, low masculinity and uncertainty avoidance. These cultural similarities have
hindered empirical comparisons (Table I).
Cross-cultural comparison studies have placed greater emphasis on studying cultural
differences between two or more countries of Western and Eastern culture (Haybatollahi
and Gyekye, 2015). However, closer examination reveals that Malaysia scores a full 100 on
the power distance dimension. Indonesia has a very high value of 78, but according to Smit
(2015), a 10-point difference in the power distance score is sufficient for persons outside

Table I Cultural dimension scores for Malaysia and Indonesia

Indonesia Malaysia
Dimension Score Category Score Category

Power Distance 78 Large PD 100 Large PD

Individualism vs Collectivism 14 Collectivist 26 Collectivist
Masculinity vs Femininity 46 Low Masculine 50 Low Masculine
Uncertainty Avoidance (UA) 48 Weak UA 36 Weak UA
Source: Hofstede et al. (2010)

PAGE 350 j JOURNAL OF ASIA BUSINESS STUDIES j VOL. 13 NO. 3 2019

the culture to perceive the difference. For instance, to Indonesians, Malaysians will appear
more power distant and hierarchical.
This study focuses on the difference in the power distance dimension. Power distance has
been discussed as a determinant of whether the OCBs at work are in-role behaviors or
extra-role behaviors. Therefore, this research used Hofstede and Minkov’s (2013) Value
Survey Module 2013 (VSM 13) directly to obtain newer data that is more representative of
our current sample. The data were then calculated using the VSM 13 formula and estimated
using regression analyses.

Organizational citizenship behavior and its antecedents and consequences

In the present study, OCB serves as the mediating variable in the relationships between
organizational commitment and job motivation (independent variables) and an employee’s
job performance (dependent variable). National culture and organizational culture serve as
the moderating variables.
Robbins and Judge (2015) describe commitment as the condition in which an
individual favors an organization and has the objective and desire to maintain
membership in the organization. According to Luthans (2010), there are three
components of organizational commitment: affective commitment, continuance
commitment, and normative commitment. Commitment affects performance
indirectly through OCB. Individual commitment to an organization encourages
employees to show OCB. Employees that identify with or feel a part of the
organization and have a positive commitment to the organization will ultimately
exhibit higher performance.
Motivation is a reaction that begins with a requirement that increases desire or efforts to
achieve the goal. The next stage is characterized by tension, that is, unfulfilled desire, which
leads to action toward the goal and, ultimately, satisfaction of the desire (Kontz and Cyrill
O’Donnell, 1986). According to Badeni (2013), there are two types of encouragement
motivation: internal and external. Theories of internal encouragement related to motivation
include theories X and Y, the three needs theory, and the two-factor theory, while theories of
external encouragement include expectancy theory and the theory of equilibrium. An
employee’s motivation within an organization is an important component of OCB.
Employees that identify with or feel a part of an organization and have positive motivation
will ultimately exhibit higher performance.
The concept of OCB encompasses behavioral options that are not part of the formal
obligations of an individual in the organization but can support the effective
functioning of an organization (Robbins and Judge, 2015). According to Organ
(1988), OCB is a free, individual behavior that is not directly recognized in the system
of rewards and can promote the effective functioning of the organization. In other
words, OCB is an individual behavior that exceeds role requirements and is indirectly
recognized by the formal reward system.
Gibson et al. (2011) describe employee performance as the quality or quantity of job
achievement or work result achieved by a workforce in performing their duties in
accordance with their responsibilities. According to Griffin et al. (2007), there are three
sub-dimensions of performance corresponding to job roles at the individual, team, and
organizational levels. The three different forms of behavior are proficiency, adaptability
and proactivity. There are three main factors that affect employee performance: the
ability of the individual in performing the work, the level of effort devoted and
organizational support (Mathis and Jackson, 2011). This study focuses on the
individual performance of employees (Figure 1).

VOL. 13 NO. 3 2019 j JOURNAL OF ASIA BUSINESS STUDIES j PAGE 351

 Figure 1 OCB, antecedents, consequence and moderators

National Organizational
Culture Culture

Commitment

Performance

Motivation

OCB

Research framework
This study applied divergence perspective in which culture is considered to have very
strong influence in comparing attitude variables between two or more countries (Hofstede,
1980). Quantitative approach analyzing the relationship between variables was used in
conjunction with OLS regression.

Method
Participants
A total of 264 employees participated in this study, including 161 Indonesians and 103
Malaysians. The distribution of gender was almost balanced, with 50.93 per cent (n = 82)
male and 49.07 per cent (n = 79) female among Indonesians and 44.66 per cent (n = 46)
male and 55.34 per cent (n = 57) female among Malaysians. The Indonesian participants
were older than the Malaysian participants; the majority of Indonesian participants, 57.14
per cent (n = 92), were 41-50 years old, whereas the majority of Malaysian participants,
71.84 per cent (n = 74), were 26-35 years old. In both countries, job titles were dominated
by academically trained professionals, including lecturers, lab assistants, and employees
working in academic fields, representing 49.07 per cent (n = 79) of Indonesians and 56.31
per cent (n = 58) of Malaysians. This dominance was mainly due to the fact that the majority
of the participants had more than 17 years of formal education, including 75.16 per cent
(n = 121) of Indonesians and 53.40 per cent (n = 55) of Malaysians. Giap and Hackemeier
(2005) did not observe differences in OCB with age because differences in age had no
effect on behavior in the workplace, as supported by Huang et al. (2015), Tella et al. (2007),
and Irving et al. (1997). Moreover, culture is not influenced by age differences, most likely
because culture is not only inherent and innate since birth but also continues to be learned
and studied throughout life (Hofstede, 1980). However, older people gradually withdraw
themselves from the work context (Desmette and Gaillard, 2008) and shift their priorities to
seeking fulfillment in the private life sphere (e.g. family and leisure) (Carstensen et al., 1999;
Zacher and Frese, 2009).

Measurement instruments
The questionnaire consisted of seven sections. Section 1 was Hofstede’s organizational
culture items. For this study, a total of four items measuring parochial versus professional

PAGE 352 j JOURNAL OF ASIA BUSINESS STUDIES j VOL. 13 NO. 3 2019

dimensions were utilized. Section 2 was Hofstede and Minkov’s (2013) Value Survey
Module 2013, a 24-item questionnaire measuring six dimensions of national culture: power
distance, individualism versus collectivism, masculinity versus femininity, uncertainty
avoidance, long/short-term orientation, and indulgence versus restraint. For this study,
however, only four items measuring power distance were used.
Section 3 was the OCB items of Podsakoff et al. (1990). Ten of the 24 total items were
employed for this present study. Section 4 addressed organizational commitment and was
adopted from Ganesan and Barton’s (1996) measurement instruments. Section 5 included
job motivation items adopted from Pareek’s (1985) measurement instruments. Section 6
was job performance items adopted from the measurement instruments of Tsui et al. (1997).
Finally, Section 7 included basic demographic questions such as age, gender, years of
education, and job position.

Procedure
The sample was drawn from participants who, at the time of data collection, were employed
in a job. This study used a purposive sampling method. The sampling procedures were
performed with the assistance of a few colleagues; the researchers formulated the criteria
for respondents and then made a list of potential participants who meet the criteria.
After the criteria were defined, an invitation to participate in the study was disseminated
among a group of employees. The employees who met the criteria and were willing to
participate in this research were contacted again via email to receive the questionnaire.
Participants who did not respond to the e-mail were contacted via text message. All
participants were given a week to complete the questionnaire. This study ultimately
collected responses from 161 participants in Indonesia and 103 participants in
Malaysia.

Data analyses
All statistical analyses were performed using the SPSS statistical software package version
20. A validity test was used to indicate the level of validity of the instrument (Arikunto, 2002),
and a reliability test was used to measure the consistency and stability of variables
(Sekaran, 2009). A non-response bias test was also used to ensure that there was no bias in
the respondents’ answers before and after the cutoff period. Regression analyses were
performed to examine the influence of commitment and motivation on performance with
OCB as an intervening variable and organizational culture and national culture as
moderating variables in the regression equations.
In the regression models, the classic assumptions were met, as verified by several tests.
The normality test determines whether the residual confounding variables in the regression
model have a normal distribution. If this assumption is violated, the statistical test is invalid
for small sample sizes (Ghozali, 2012). The heteroscedasticity test assesses the presence
of inequality in the residual variance from one observation to another in the regression
model (Ghozali, 2012). The multicorrelation test evaluates whether each independent
variable is correlated with other variables. Autocorrelation tests whether the linear
regression model exhibits correlation between the best linear unbiased estimators of the
error in period t with the best linear unbiased estimators of the errors in prior periods.
Then, a t-test was conducted to determine if the independent variables had an effect on
the dependent variable. The average t-test is used in statistics to test whether a certain
value (given for comparison) is significantly different from the average of a sample. To
test the average difference with the t-test, quantitative data are used (Ghozali, 2012)
(Table II).

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 Table II Cultural dimension scores for Indonesia and Malaysia
Indonesia Malaysia
Dimension Score Category Score Category

Power Distance 44 Small PD 93 Large PD

Individualism vs Collectivism 13 Collectivist 14 Collectivist
Masculinity vs Femininity 32 Feminine 64 Masculine
Uncertainty Avoidance (UA) 20 Weak UA 38 Weak UA
Long-Term Orientation (TO) 41 Short TO 56 Long TO
Indulgence vs. Restraint 69 Indulgence 38 Restraint
Source: Primary data

Results
This section will explain the results of the estimation using the constructed model. This
estimate revealed the factors affecting the performance of individuals. The research model
showed that alleged performance is influenced by the commitment and motivation of
individuals, both of which can influence performance directly or indirectly through the OCB
variable. This model also examines the impact of the moderating variables of organizational
culture and national culture. This discussion is divided into two parts, which correspond to
the studies in Indonesia and Malaysia, respectively (Table III).
The first estimation showed how commitment and motivation affect OCB in Indonesia. This
estimate was intended to reveal the influence of independent variables that could affect
performance. The result indicate that commitment and motivation had positive and
significant effects on OCB at the level of a = 5 per cent. Moderating variable 1, which
represents the relationship between organizational culture and commitment, did not show
an intervening relationship with OCB. Moderating variable 2, which corresponds to the
relationship between commitment and national culture, had no intervening relationship with
OCB. Moderating variable 3 had a significantly positive correlation, which indicated that
organizational culture strengthened the relationship between OCB and motivation at the
level of a = 10 per cent. Moderating variable 4 did not show a significant relationship
between motivation and national culture (Table IV).
The second estimation was intended to evaluate the direct impacts of commitment and
motivation on performance. The results showed that commitment, including OCB, did not
affect performance directly. However, in the sign test, commitment and OCB were positively
related to performance, consistent with the general theory. By contrast, motivational
variables affected performance directly. In this case, almost all moderating variables were

Table III OLS Regression of OCB determinants in Indonesia

Variable Coefficient Std. Error p-value

Constant 31.955 0.573 0.000

Commitment (C) 1.039 0.394 0.009
Motivation (M) 2.957 0.445 0.000
Organization Culture (OC) 0.916 0.402 0.024
National Culture (NC) 0.073 0.278 0.793
Moderating Variable 1 (C x OC) 0.189 0.511 0.711
Moderating Variable 2 (C  NC) 0.480 0.447 0.285
Moderating Variable 3 (M x OC) 0.971 0.571 0.091
Moderating Variable 4 (M  NC) 0.593 0.448 0.188
N 161
F-stat 18.604 0.000
R-Square 0.495
Dependent Variable OCB

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 Table IV OLS Regression of performance determinants in Indonesia
Variable Coefficient Std. Error p-value

Constant 23.811 0.397 0.000

Commitment (C) 0.416 0.278 0.136
Motivation (M) 2.008 0.368 0.000
Organizational Culture Behavior (OCB) 0.526 0.329 0.112
Organization Culture (OC) 0.007 0.280 0.980
National Culture (NC) 0.001 0.188 0.997
Moderating Variable 1 (C x OC) 0.089 0.371 0.811
Moderating Variable 2 (C  NC) 0.633 0.320 0.050
Moderating Variable 3 (M x OC) 0.022 0.454 0.962
Moderating Variable 4 (M  NC) 0.828 0.352 0.020
Moderating Variable 5 (OBC  OC) 0.154 0.469 0.743
Moderating Variable 6 (OBC  NC) 0.271 0.362 0.456
N 161
F-stat 21.362 0.000
R-Square 0.612
Dependent Variable Performance

unrelated to the independent variables, except national culture, which was related to
commitment and motivation. National culture strengthened the relationship between
commitment and performance and weakened the relationship between motivation and
performance.
The results of the estimation studies in Malaysia indicated that motivation had a positive and
significant effect on OCB at the level of a = 5 per cent. However, commitment had no
influence on OCB. Moderating variable 1, which represents the relationship between
organizational culture and commitment, had no intervening relationship with OCB; similar
results were obtained for moderating variables 2, 3 and 4.
The second estimation revealed a direct impact of commitment and motivation on
performance. Commitment, motivation and OCB had direct positive effects on employee
job performance. In this case, the overall moderating variables were unrelated to the
independent variables.

Discussion and conclusion

This study aimed to identify differences between the influence of motivation and individual
commitment, which is moderated by organizational culture and national culture, on
individual performance between Indonesia and Malaysia. Theoretically, independent
variables can influence performance variables directly and indirectly. The results indicated
that the effects of motivation and commitment on performance are mediated indirectly by
OCB.
The study in Indonesia revealed that commitment and motivation positively and significantly
affected OCB. By contrast, the study in Malaysia showed that commitment did not affect
OCB. The results for the effects of job commitment on OCB differed between the two
countries. The study in Indonesia showed that individual commitment to the organization
encouraged individuals to take positive action for the organization, such as performing work
beyond their obligations, consistent with Moradi (2015) and Pourgaz et al. (2015). High
individual commitment to the organization results in an increase in an employee’s work
based on the employee’s acceptance of the purpose and principles of the organization as
well as pride in the organization (Luthans, 2010).
According to Allen and Meyer (1990), each individual has a different level of commitment.
Forms of commitment can differ depending upon the individual, and thus individuals may

VOL. 13 NO. 3 2019 j JOURNAL OF ASIA BUSINESS STUDIES j PAGE 355

 feel different commitments to the organization, job, higher position, and working group.
According to Allen and Meyer (1990), commitment is divided among three types: affective
commitment, continuance commitment, and normative commitment. The different types of
commitment combine to create a different behavior consequence for each individual. Full
commitment involving emotion or as denoted by Allen and Meyer, affective commitment,
can influence OCB. By contrast, normative commitment is a lower level of commitment than
affective commitment and is limited only to the responsibility of each individual in an
organization. The level of commitment was lower among Malaysian individuals than in
individuals in Indonesia in this study. The average score for commitment indicated that
commitment had no effect on the level of individual OCB.
The variable of motivation affected OCB in both countries in this study. Consistent with the
results of Moradi (2015), an individual’s motivation within an organization increased OCB.
This finding indicates that employees with high work motivation identify with the organization
or feel a part of the organization and thus work outside their job description to improve the
organization.
Moreover, in Indonesia, moderating variables such as organizational culture and national
culture were related to the influence of the independent variables of commitment and
motivation on OCB, except for the influence of commitment on the organization’s culture. By
contrast, in Malaysia, the moderating variables were unrelated to the independent
variables. Empirical results indicate that organizational culture strengthens the influence of
motivation on OCB. According to Hofstede (1986), organizational culture is the interaction of
various traits or habits that affect groups of people in their environment; the stronger the
organization culture, the more powerful the influence of motivation on OCB level. By
contrast, the national cultural relationships described by the dimensions of power distance
differ between the commitment and motivation variables. The effect of commitment is
positive, while that of motivation is negative. When a person feels that individuals are
superior to other individuals because of social status, gender, race, age, education,
background, or other factors, the effect of commitment on OCB becomes stronger, but the
reverse impact is observed for the motivation variable. The influence of motivation on OCB
will be stronger if there is no equality, which compels individuals to work beyond their job
description.
The next estimation examined the direct influence of the independent variable on the
variable of performance. Commitment had different impacts on individual performance in
the two countries. Commitment had a direct influence on performance in Malaysia but not
Indonesia. This difference can be explained analogously to the impact of the commitment
variable on OCB in the previous discussion. The different levels of motivation of each
individual will affect the performance level, similar to the level of commitment described by
Allen and Meyer (1990). Affective commitment was higher in Indonesia than in Malaysia,
with a greater focus on the organization’s success rather than the performance of each
individual in Indonesia. By contrast, normative commitment is a lower-level form of
commitment that focuses on and thus can significantly improve individual performance,
consistent with Robbins and Judge’s (2015) results.
Another finding is that the motivation variable positively and significantly affected
performance directly; Choo and Bowley (2007) reported a similar finding. An individual’s
motivation within the organization is positively related to performance. A working individual’s
motivation encourages them to improve their performance within an organization, whether
that motivation is internal or external encouragement.
The empirical results of this research show that OCB affects performance in Malaysia but
not Indonesia. This discovery explains how the OCB level improves coworker performance.
Employees who help other colleagues will accelerate the completion of their colleague’s
task and increase the productivity of their coworkers but not themselves. However, in other

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cases, OCB can improve individual performance through group work assessments. When
group performance increases, the assessments of individual performance will also
increase. Groups that exhibit camaraderie, help each other even when it is not their duty, or
perform extra roles can increase the performance of all individuals. The study in Indonesia
indicated that OCB or a behavior of helping others (altruism) did not significantly improve
individual performance, which was related to a high level of commitment. By contrast, OCB
in Malaysia, which coincided with normative commitment, improved individual performance.
In the organizational psychology literature, a significant positive relationship of OCB with
performance outcomes has been noted by Martinez (2013) and Michael (2011).
Finally, moderating variables such as organizational culture and national culture were
examined. In Indonesia, national culture positively moderated the relationship between
commitment and job performance. Moreover, national culture negatively moderated the
relationship between motivation and job performance. By contrast, in Malaysia, no
moderating relationship was observed. The relationship of the moderating variable with the
performance variable can be explained similarly to the previously discussed moderating
relationship with OCB.
In conclusion, this study investigated the effects of individual commitment and motivation on
OCB and on organizational culture and national culture as moderating variables and how
these effects differ between Indonesia and Malaysia. This study confirms that individual
commitment and motivation are important influences on OCB; however, commitment and
motivation positively affect OCB in Indonesia but not Malaysia. In Malaysia, individual
motivation has a positive and significant effect on OCB, but commitment does not affect
OCB, as shown in Table V. Table III shows that commitment, and motivation has positive
and significant effects on OCB in Indonesia and that organizational culture strengthens the
relationship between OCB and motivation. The results in Table IV show that commitment
does not affect performance directly; even OCB does not affect performance. However, in
the sign test, commitment and OCB are positively related to performance. The motivational
variables affect performance directly. As shown in Table VI, in Malaysia, commitment,
motivation, and OCB has direct positive effects on employee job performance, whereas the
moderating variables are unrelated to the independent variables.

Research implications
This study offers some implication in both theoretical and practical. First, the Hofstede’s
dimension results for Indonesia and Malaysia are different to the result of this study. In
this study, Indonesia is more feminine and less power distance than Malaysia. Second,

Table V OLS Regression of OCB determinants in Malaysia

Variable Coefficient Std. Error p-value

Constant 30.421 0.796 0.000

Commitment (C) 0.384 0.419 0.361
Motivation (M) 3.133 0.490 0.000
Organization Culture (OC) 1.339 0.474 0.006
National Culture (NC) 0.882 0.356 0.015
Moderating Variable 1 (C  OC) 0.055 0.587 0.925
Moderating Variable 2 (C  NC) 0.534 0.536 0.321
Moderating Variable 3 (M  OC) 0.437 0.603 0.471
Moderating Variable 4 (M  NC) 0.091 0.551 0.868
N 103
F-stat 21.624 0.000
R-Square 0.618
Dependent Variable OCB

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 Table VI OLS Regression of performance determinants in Malaysia
Variable Coefficient Std. Error p-value

Constant 19.344 0.504 0.000

Commitment (C) 0.564 0.245 0.024
Motivation (M) 1.443 0.345 0.000
Organizational Culture Behavior (OCB) 1.152 0.340 0.001
Organization Culture (OC) 0.124 0.290 0.670
National Culture (NC) 0.214 0.214 0.319
Moderating Variable 1 (C x OC) 0.215 0.340 0.529
Moderating Variable 2 (C  NC) 0.268 0.313 0.395
Moderating Variable 3 (M x OC) 0.314 0.446 0.483
Moderating Variable 4 (M  NC) 0.055 0.438 0.900
Moderating Variable 5 (OBC  OC) 0.216 0.479 0.653
Moderating Variable 6 (OBC  NC) 0.275 0.428 0.523
N 103
F-stat 19.225 0.000
R-Square 0.699
Dependent Variable Performance

the difference is observed to have an impact on the OCB relation: in this case,
commitment and motivation affects OCB in Indonesia, but not Malaysia, which
explained in conclusion. Third, between these two “serumpun” countries (both of them
have high collectivist rates) the OCB effect will be more influential. In doing work,
Indonesian and Malaysian, who have a high collectivist level, will not be fixated or
bound by the rules. Some things, especially at work, can be resolved with good
relationships among others, which is in line with the orientation of collectivism. With
maintaining good relationships with others, then people will volunteer to assist in things
that are not his responsibility or work, which refers to the context of OCB, where OCB as
behavior that “supports the social and psychological environment in which task
performance takes place” (Organ, 1997). Therefore, the OCBs in these two “serumpun”
countries, which have an equally high collectivist level, will focus more on relationships
orientation among others.
The results of this study are useful to help better understand that there are differences
between “serumpun” cultures. Moreover, the results could benefit organizations or manager
by helping them to recognize that their employees from “similar” cultural backgrounds
could behave differently at work, especially in this study is in OCB context. This study is to
highlight how OCBs is performed in two “serumpun” countries (both of which have high
collectivist rates), how these OCB affect employee performance in each country, and see
whether there is a difference impact between these two countries. In brief, the most
important specific contribution of this research is the discovery that there is difference effect
of OCB on employee performance in Indonesia and Malaysia, which can be useful for
managers working in the region.

Limitation of the study

There are limitations of the present research. First, it relies on self-reported instruments.
There is the possibility of common method variance among some of the scales as well as
limitations of the variables. However, this research reveals factors that can affect OCB and
the difference between nations, i.e. Indonesia and Malaysia. Indonesia and Malaysia are
widely assumed to have similar characteristics, but different results were obtained for these
two nations in the present study. Future research is necessary to identify other variables and
perform additional cross-cultural studies related to OCB.

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Corresponding author
Suharnomo Suharnomo can be contacted at: suharnomo.undip@gmail.com

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